Submarine or other gun.



Ng. 708,552. Patented sept. 9, |902. I J. P. HLLND. SUBfA-RINE 0R OTHER GUN. (Application led Sept. 13, 1858. Renewed Feb. 10, 1902.) (No Model.)

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VENTOR ATTORNEYF l .gv v A v @rr-s .hr1 (w Marian stain Farrar risica,

.lOl-IN P. HLLAND, GFKNENARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR" TO ELECTRC BO AT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SUBiVIRlNE OR @TWEE GUN.

SPECIFCATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,552, dated September 9, 1902.'

Application filed September 1S, 1898. Renewed February l0, 1902. Serial No. 93,451. (No model.)

To all who/)2, it ril/(ty con/corn.'

Be it known that i, JOHN P. IIGLLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-spin Submarine or other' Guns, ot1 which the fcllowng isa specification.

rlhis invention relates to devices for throwing projectiles, and particularly shells and to torpedoes containing high explosives; and it relates more particularly, though not necessarily, to the class of guns which are to be fired or discharged when submerged or when l the bore beyond the projectile is filled with i5 water at the time or" the discharge. ln this class of guns it is desirable that the inertia of the projectile shall be gradually overcome by a moderate prop ulsive force and a stronger propulsive torce then applied, and the attain- .ee nient of this end is one of the important objectsof the present invention.

Anotherobject is to effect the expulsion. of water from the'bore of the gun in advance o the projectile; and the invention consists in z5 means for effecting these objects and others,

all of which Will be hereinafter fully described.

In the accompauyingdrawings, which illustrate embodiments ofthe invention, Figure 5o l is a longitudinal axial section ofthe breech portion ot' the gun in its preferred form. Fig. lL is an enlarged sectional View of the device for exploding the cartridge used therein, and Fig. lb isla cross-section at line lin Fig. l.` Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, showing a somewhat-different arrangement of the parts; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged'sectional view sho'wing the device for exploding the cartridge used therein.7 Y

Referring primarily to Figs. l and l, l is the barrel ot' the gun. 2 is an air reservoir or jacket about the barrel zo, receive and hold acharge of compressed air. v 5 is a tubulaislide-valve adapted to interpose between the r.1,5'breach-chamber a and the air-reservoir. 5 is an air-chamber behind the valve 3, the air in which acts to hold the valve 3 closed normally. Pv is a projectile in the gun, and gis a gas-check behind it. Gis the breech-block, 5o which closes the breech of the gunand which may bo constructed in the usual manner, and

7 is the discharging-valve, which controls an air-passage 5, leading from the chainber to a port 8, opening into the'barrel of the gun just in front of the projectile?. Thevalvc 7 is held down to its seat bya spring 7at its back in the valve-chamber 7b, the pressure of the air which tends to open the valve being overcome or counterbalanced by air of like tension admitted to the chamber 7b at its 6o back. Acocli 7? serves to open the chamber 7b to the air-supply, and a cock`7d opens it to the atmosphere. This latter is a firing cock Y or valve. .f

So far as described the operation is as follows: Suppose the bore of the gun in front of the projectile to be'full of water, as it may be under some conditions, and the chamber 2 containsa charge of"air under moderate tension-say sevenatinospheres. lfthecock 7o 7d be manipulated and the air released from behind the valve 7, the pressure of the air from the chamber 5 flowing through the passage 5 will first raise the valve 7 `and then expend its force inexpelling the water from the gun-barrel, but when the pressure is re# lieved from the back of the valve 3 bythe exhaustion of air from chamber 5 the pres- 'sure of air in the chamber 2 raises said valve and admits the charge of air in the latter 8o chamber behind the projectile P, The pressure exerted by this charge of air suffices .to overcome the inertia of the projectile and set it in motion'.

To the projectile or to the gas-check g, which is expelled with it, is attached a Wire v 9 of any desired length, which passes out through a small hole in the breech-block and through a hole in one arm of a level; l0, through which` hole the wire plays; but on 9o the end ofthe Wire 9 is abntton Q or the like, which cannot pass through the hole in the lever, and consequently when the projectile shall have advanced in the barrel to a predetermined distance the" button D 'en- -95 gages the lever-arm and rocks the lever 9 on its fulcruin. To the-other arm o f thelever 9 is coupled a connecting rod 'or wire 1l, which extends forward and is coupledat the other end to an arm of a lever 12, the free roo` end of which pushes back a spring-detenta. 13, Fig. l?, and thus releases a spring firingvIO pin 11.-, mounted in the breech-block l5 of a cartridge-chamber 16, thus exploding a cartridge C in said chamber. The cartridgechalnber 16 opens into the air chamber or holder 2 and preferably near its front end or that part farthest from the valve 3, and when the cartridge is exploded its force is applied to the throwing of the projectile, the cushion of air between it and the projectile beingalso greatly expanded by the heat from the explosive.

It will not be necessary to describe the firing device seen in Fig. l more minutely than to say that the transverselyarranged spring-detent 13 takes in front of a shoulder on the axially-arranged firing-pin 14 and holds it back with its spring llt compressed. The stem of the detent 13 projects into the path of the lever l2, so that the latter pushes the detent from in front of the shoulder on the firing-pin when the lever 10 is actuated. The invention is not, however, limited to any specific device for effecting the automatic explosion of the cartridge through the movement of the projectile.

Figs. 2 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of the invention which diders from that last described only in the formation ofthe cartridgechamber in the breech-block 6, whereby the discharge of the cartridge C is effected directly behind the projectile, and in the means for exploding the cartridge. In this construction a .wire 9X connects the gas-check g with the friction-pull 9b of a friction-primer set in the cartridge C, the surplus of the wire 9 being coiled in the front end of the cartridge-shell. Vhen the surplus of wire is drawn out straight, vthe pull 9 will be drawn out and the charge in the cartridge exploded.

The air under tension may be supplied to the chamber 2 in any manner desired, as at the inlet 17, for example, and it may also be supplied to the chamber 5 in the same Way; but preferably the air from chamber 2 will be admitted to the chamber 5 at an inlet, closed by a screw-valve 1S. The sudden relief to the valve 3 at its back by the sudden lifting of the valve 7 will provide sufficient diderence in the pressures on the valve 3 to allow the air-pressure in the chamber 2 to raise it instantly. X'Vhere the gun is not for submarine use, the air from the chamber 5 may be discharged into the atmosphere.

In order. to enable a check-valve 8 to be provided at the port 8 to prevent the water entering the gun-bore from penetrating to the air-chambers of the gun, the valve 7 is so arranged as to control the passage 5, leading to the port 8, and not to close the said port directly. y

It will be noted that one of the important features of this gun is the regulable control of the explosive charge. By mechanical connection of the igniter with the projectile the moment of ignition of the explosive charge can be changed at every shot, and it is not necessary to employ a compressed gaseous roasts explosive charge for imparting the initial movement to the projectile, compressed air serving for this purpose perfectly.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. A gun for discharging a torpedo or other projectile, having means for first setting the projectile in motion with compressed air, having regulable, mechanical connecting means between the projectile and an igniter for afterward igniting an explosive charge when the projectile shall have traveled far enough to act forcibly on the igniter through said connecting means, and having a special7 stationary chamber for the explosive charge independent of the projectile, substantially as set forth.

2. A gun for discharging a torpedo or other '85 projectile, having a barrel to guide the projectile, a breech-chamber behind the projectile-chamber, means for admitting a charge of compressed air to said breech-chamber for setting the projectile in motion, a cartridgechamber independent of the projectile and open to said breech-chamber and adapted to receive a cartridge containing an explosive charge, au igniting device for said cartridge, and regulable connecting means between said igniting device and the projectile whereby the latter, when it shall have moved a predetermined distance, will effect the ignition of the cartridge, substantially as set forth.

3. A gun having an air-reservoir about its barrel in the form of a jacket, a breech-chamber behind the projectile-chamber, a valve controlling'communication between said reservoirand breech-chamber, a cartridge-chamber communicating with the breech-chamber and adapted to receive a cartridge containing an explosive, said cartridge-chamber being independent of the projectile and forming a part of the gun, and means for igniting said explosive when the projectile shall have moved a predetermined distance, substantially as set forth.

-fl-. A gun having an air-reservoir about its barrel in the form of a jacket, a breech-chamber behind theprojectile chamber, a valve controlling communication between said reservoir and breech-chamber, a cartridge-chamber communicating with the breech-chamber and adapted to receive a cartridge containing an explosive, said cartridge-chamber forming a part'of the gun, and means forigniting the said explosive while the charge of compressed air is between the said cartridge-chamber and the projectile, whereby the force of the explosive acts on the projectile through the intermediate cushion of air, substantially as set forth.

5. A gun forsubmarine use, having a valvecontrolled inlet for admitting gas under tension to the bore 'of the gun in front of the pro- .jectile, whereby the Water may be forced outof the said bore in advance of the projectile, substantially as set forth.

`G. A gun for submarine use, having a valve IOO to admit compressed airbehind the projectile, a chamber to contain compressed air behind the said valve to hold said valve down to its seat, a port opening into the bore ofthe gun in front of the projeetile, a passage connecting said port with the chamber' behind said valve, and a firing-valve, controlling said passage, whereby when said firing valve is opened the air from said chamber expels the water from the bore of the gun, substantially as set forth.

7. A gun for submarine use having a firingvalve for admitting a gas under tension behind the projectile, and a valve, automatically Controlled by said firing-valve, which admits a gas under tension in front of the projectile substantially at the same time as the firing, whereby the Water is expelled from the bore ahead of the advancing projectile.

In witnesswhereof I have hereunto signed my name',' this 1stday of September', 1898, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. JOHN P; HOLLAND. Witnesses: y

PETER A. Ross,

HENRY CONNETT. 

